The Football Association of Wales has given its clearest account yet of the summer saga that saw Craig Bellamy hold talks with Burnley over the Championship club's managerial vacancy, with chief football officer David Adams saying it was "the right thing to do" for Bellamy to speak with the Clarets.

Speaking on BBC Sounds' Feast of Football podcast, Adams confirmed he held regular contact with Burnley chairman Alan Pace during the process and that the FAW were content for their head coach to explore the opportunity. What followed was, in Adams' own word, "unfortunate".

"The way it played out was unfortunate, things get leaked these days," he said. "Naturally, the longer things go on, people start to make their own noise in some respects."

The sequence of events, as Adams tells it, was straightforward enough until it wasn't. Bellamy was open with the FAW throughout, the conversations with Turf Moor were ongoing, and then reports emerged claiming Bellamy had accepted the Burnley job. He had not. One morning, Adams says, Bellamy rang to confirm he was staying in international management.

"We were happy for Craig to go and speak to them," Adams added. "And then unfortunately, the way it played out was that they were saying he had accepted the job when he hadn't. Craig was telling us the same thing as that and then one morning he rang and said 'I'm staying'."

What this means for Burnley

For Burnley, the episode is a reminder of how difficult the second half of last season has been, and how the club's search for a permanent manager played out in a blaze of unwanted publicity. The Clarets, back in the Championship after relegation from the Premier League, have endured a turbulent period both on and off the pitch. Their opening months in the second tier have not been smooth, as our recent coverage of the club's struggles has illustrated.

Bellamy, who played for Burnley earlier in his career, had been considered for the Turf Moor role as a successor to Scott Parker. The fact that talks reached the stage where external reports claimed a deal was done, only for Bellamy to remain in post with Wales, points to negotiations that came closer to a conclusion than the FAW's measured language might suggest. Burnley eventually moved in a different direction.

Adams was careful not to paint the episode as any kind of breakdown in trust. He described his relationship with Bellamy as open and communicative, and his working relationship with Pace as similarly constructive, having also liaised with the Burnley chairman back in 2024 when Bellamy first left the club to take the Wales job.

Succession planning and what it reveals

Perhaps the most telling detail from Adams' interview is his acknowledgement that the FAW keeps a running list of potential Bellamy successors. This is standard practice for any governing body, though it is rarely stated so openly. Adams described a clear profile: former international players with a genuine connection to Wales. He credited that approach as "pretty successful" over the past decade.

"Behind the scenes in my job, I have to be alert to these things and I have to have a list of people in the background that I'd speak to if [Bellamy's departure] ever materialised," he said.

For Burnley supporters, the summer saga is largely settled business now. The club did not get their man, navigated the fallout in public, and have moved on. But Adams' podcast appearance is a useful, if belated, account of how close things came, and a candid acknowledgement from the FAW that the prospect of losing their manager to a Championship club was taken seriously enough to prompt weeks of negotiation at the highest level.

Bellamy's contract with the FAW runs until after Euro 2028. Whether Burnley or another second-tier club comes calling before then remains to be seen.

Frequently asked

Did Craig Bellamy accept the Burnley manager job?
No. According to FAW chief football officer David Adams, Bellamy spoke with Burnley during the summer but ultimately decided to remain as Wales head coach. Reports that he had accepted the role were inaccurate, Adams says.
Who did Burnley want to replace as manager when they approached Bellamy?
Burnley were looking for a successor to Scott Parker when they held talks with Bellamy in the summer.
When does Craig Bellamy's Wales contract expire?
Craig Bellamy's contract with the Football Association of Wales runs until after Euro 2028.